The present invention relates in general to computer systems, and more particularly to a data processing system in which a reader reads the control segment and the data segment of information
The patent to McWaters et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,194, discloses an optical scanner to information from a document. In the patent to Bejting et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,833, there is disclosed an optical scanner. The output of the optical scanner is applied to a converter that produces digital code word corresponding to the information read by the optical scanner. The digital code information is stored in a text generator. A character generator reads the digital code information stored in the memory of the text generator and produces an alphanumerical signal for displaying characters on a cathode ray tube.
In the patent to Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,489, there is disclosed an optical scanner that reads an optical code, which is juxtaposed with data information displayed on a cathode ray tube. The optical scanner produces a series of pulses in accordance with the optical code scanned. The pulses are received by a computer which controls the generation of data information to be displayed on the cathode ray tube. The pulses emitted by the optical scanner can address a storage device in the computer to retrieve the desired data information under the command of the optical code scanned by the optical scanner.
The patent to Cohen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,792, discloses a system in which a light pen changes the alphanumeric values of certain information displayed on a cathode ray tube. An operator touches a character on the cathode ray tube adjacent to parameters. The parameters next to the touched character will be identified. The alphanumeric values of the parameters are incremented or decremented dependent on the position of the character.
Heretofore, an operator of a computer or data processing system utilized repeatedly the same tasks to process repetitive information. Control information was entered into the computer by an operator through a keyboard to load the computer with a particular task. The data information was then entered into the computer by the operator in response to the direction or "prompting" of the computer appearing on a display, such as a cathode ray tube. As a consequence thereof, the operator speed was reduced by the plural step procedure. In addition, accuracy was impaired by the plural step procedure.